Aisha Hasan Al-Najjar

About Aisha

Aisha Hasan Al-Najjar is a defense lawyer with more than 5 years of experience working in the field of human rights and criminal justice. She believes that human dignity is a non-negotiable right, and that the law must be a tool to protect people, not to violate their rights. In her field, she has seen how procedural flaws can drastically affect people’s lives. She has been registered with the Free Aleppo Bar Association since 2021. Ms Al-Najjar believes that justice comes from safeguarding the rights of both the accused and the victim. She has experience in training lawyers and judges in criminal defense skills and fair trial guarantees. Her passions also include reading novels as well as promoting dialogue among people.

The Challenge

Ms. Al-Najjar finds that access to justice is constrained by both structural and systemic issues. She finds that the lack of knowledge of legal rights among citizens and government employees weakens the foundation of the justice system. She further notes that accused individuals often encounter obstacles in securing early and qualified legal representation. Finally, she emphasizes that limited coordination and a lack of shared understanding among justice sector actors including judges, police, prosecutors, and prison officials exposes defendants to violations of their rights.

The Innovation: Together for a Fair Trial

Ms Al-Najjar’s project aims to develop a shared understanding of justice by providing training for lawyers and justice officials, awareness sessions for citizens and detainees, and dialogue meetings that bring together judges, policemen, prosecutors, and lawyers. The scope is to deepen cooperation, strengthen trust in legal institutions, and address gaps within the justice system. Ms Al-Najjar believes in the importance of equal participation of male and female lawyers and wants to ensure that gender issues such as gender-based violence, discrimination, and the rights of women and children are incorporated into the trainings.